Passion of Joan of Arc, The

(Dreyer, 1928). Music composed by Leo Pouget and Victor Alix.

One of the most famous films of all time, The Passion of Joan of Arc is a powerful rendition of the trial and burning of Joan of Arc. Done almost entirely in close-ups and based closely on the 15th century trial transcripts, the film portrays a number of powerful members of the French clergy as tools of the British armed forces. Cut by Catholic censors when premiered in 1928 in Paris, the censored version of the film was accompanied by pseudo-Gothic, late 19th century style, French dramatic music that further undermined and counteracted Dreyer’s anti-clerical bias. Nevertheless, the music, particularly from the point of Joan’s final communion to her death and the riot that followed, powerfully underscores Joan’s martyrdom and victory over death on behalf of God and the French people.